Three terrorists killed in the Sopore encounter on Sunday were affiliated with proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), police said.
On a specific input generated by Sopore Police regarding the presence of terrorists in the village Rebban area of Sopore, a joint cordon and search operation was launched by JKP, 22RR and CRPF in the said area.
During the search operation as the presence of terrorists got ascertained they were given the opportunity to surrender, however, they fired indiscriminately upon the joint search party, which was retaliated leading to an encounter," said Jammu and Kashmir police in a press release.
In the ensuing encounter, three terrorists affiliated with proscribed terror outfit LeT were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. Two of the killed terrorist were foreigners and have been identified as Abu Rafia alias Usman and Saifullah, both residents of Pakistan. Abu Rafia alias Usman was active in the valley since year 2016. They were involved in many terror incidents including the recent Sopore terror incident on 1/7/2020 in which one CRPF jawan was martyred and one civilian was killed. However, the identification of the third killed terrorist is being ascertained, police said.
Arms and ammunition including three Ak-47 rifles and other incriminating materials were recovered from the site of encounter and search is under progress, the police statement read.
In this connection, a case under relevant sections of law has been registered in Police Station Sopore and investigation has been initiated. People are requested to cooperate with police till the area is completely stised and cleared of all the explosive materials, if any, the police added.
( With inputs from ANI )